Winemaker Notes

An alluring first impression of depth on the nose. This wine defines elegance, grace and harmony. An enticing complex bouquet of blackberries and ripe cherry mingles with sweet tobacco. Once the wine enters the palate, a velvety texture coats the mouth with a sophisticated concentrated structure of blackberries, cassis, and flint interlaced with alluring sublime tannins. Enticing flavors of dark chocolate, floral notes of violet and spice linger in the long, opulent finish.

Climate and Harvest

2014 had dry, moderate weather throughout winter with ideal rainfall before an early bud break in March. Spring conditions remained warm and dry, allowing the grapevines to bloom evenly throughout. A frosty week in May with warmer temperatures quickly returning, creating an even flowering and fruit set. Extremely dry weather continued in July and August with few heat spikes, allowing the crop to ripen uniformly. Two weeks of Pacific coastal influence at the end of August slowed down the the vintage, then a heat wave over Labor Day weekend moved the harvest forward. A perfect vintage of uniform clusters with dense, intense flavors, lively acidity retention and robust tannin structure.

The Tesserae selection begins in the vineyard. Harvest began in early October with each cluster hand-harvested and hand-selected over 15-days. Initial cold soaks was 7 days then into a slow natural fermentation. Duration of fermentations lasted 12 days on average. Punch downs 3-4 times a day depending on the texture development during fermentations. Each lot chosen by varietal, clone and soil selection individually fermented and aged. The Tesserae is introduced one month prior to bottling - barrel by barrel. 22-months of elevage, with no rackings. Cellar aged for six years upon release.